The Fantasy Culture Random Generator Game!
Everyone's favorite game in the world. Making a fantasy society can be very tedious, especially if you've got over one-hundred different countries and most of which won't be fleshed out in the actual story. So here are some questions that do not define anything about your actual society. What they do is essentially create starting points that allow you to think about your society a little bit. In each of the questions asked, roll a six-sided die (or find one on the internet). If there's something you truly want to select for this fantasy culture you're making, go right ahead and pick that instead. And if your roll doesn't make sense with the previous ones (it should always make sense), go ahead and re-roll. Question 0: Where is your fantasy country located? (only do this one if you haven't made a map) 1.) On an island 2.) In the tropics 3.) In the mountains 4.) Next to the ocean 5.) In the desert 6.) Up north, where it's cold They say an entire culture depends on what resources it has, so let's start there. Question 1: Your society's primary building material is? 1.) Timber 2.) Metals 3.) Marble 4.) Bricks or adobe 5.) Stone 6.) Caves/Caverns Question 2: Your society's primary food source is? 1.) Fruit-bearing trees 2.) Hunting 3.) Vegetable farming 4.) Fishing 5.) Baking 6.) Domesticated animals (pigs, sheep, cows, etc) Question 3: Your society has primary access to: 1.) Wool-like product 2.) Silk-like product 3.) Animal skins 4.) Cotton-like plant 5.) Plant products (other than cotton) 6.) Roll again Question 4: Your society has a rare resource: (optional) 1.) Gemstones 2.) Spices 3.) Smoke-able leaf plant 4.) Gold and/or silver 5.) Rare dyes 6.) Rare animals Now let's get into how people tend to be treated in this society, as that is often not related to the resources that are available. Question 5: Your society values which of these people the most? 1.) Its soldiers 2.) Its healers/doctors 3.) Its knowledgeable - the mages or scientists 4.) Its rich 5.) Its entertainers or athletes 6.) Its food gatherers - the farmers/gatherers/hunters/fishers Question 6: Who makes up the ruling class? 1.) The royal family 2.) A committee of selected individuals 3.) Its people 4.) The church, or a chuchlike organization 5.) The dictator 6.) No one - there is no central government Question 7: Which of these toys is most likely to be given to a young boy? 1.) A set of paints 2.) A doll 3.) A wooden sword 4.) A book 5.) A ball 6.) A costume Question 8: Which of these toys is most likely to be given to a young girl? 1.) A set of paints 2.) A doll 3.) A wooden sword 4.) A book 5.) A ball 6.) A costume Question 9: The most common type of marriage in this society is: 1.) Monogamy 2.) Polygyny (one man + multiple women) 3.) Polyandry (one woman + multiple men) 4.) Communal ("it takes a village" taken literally) 5.) Non-existent 6.) Other, or roll again Question 10: Education in this society is: 1.) Compulsory 2.) Only for those who can afford it 3.) Divided by social class 4.) Divided by gender 5.) Unheard of 6.) Strictly optional Now that we know how people are treated, it's time to ask what this society truly values and what this society truly despises. Question 11: What warrants the death penalty in this society? 1.) Nothing 2.) Angering the ruler 3.) Angering the ruling class 4.) Murder 5.) Blasphemy 6.) Physical attributes, or roll again Question 12: What does this society consider the worst vice or flaw? 1.) Cowardice 2.) Cruelty 3.) Stupidity 4.) Greed 5.) Lust 6.) Anger Question 13: Assuming it's possible for a politician to be elected, his most valuable asset in this society is: 1.) His stoicism 2.) His emotional openness 3.) His creativity 4.) His family 5.) His career 6.) His logic Question 14: How does this society feel about its dead? 1.) Afraid 2.) Sad 3.) Happy 4.) Angry 5.) In denial 6.) In reverence Question 15: A child has recently come down with a deadly disease. The only cure is to let it run its course. If it should spread, it will wipe out half of the village at least. How will she be treated? 1.) She will be quarantined alone, until she dies or gets better. 2.) She will be exiled as soon as the disease is discovered 3.) She will be murdered as soon as the disease is discovered 4.) She will be quarantined alone for a limited time, and if no progress has been made, she will be murdered. 5.) She will be quarantined with her family, until all of them die or get better. 6.) She will be allowed to walk free in the village, no matter the cost. Question 16: How is suicide most seen in your fictional society? 1.) It's an honorable thing after great shame 2.) It's a horrible, sinful thing. 3.) It's a tragic thing 4.) It's a selfish thing 5.) It's an expected thing 6.) It's something the society does not talk about Question 17: An artist creates a very offensive work, what happens? 1.) The work is destroyed and the artist is punished 2.) The work is celebrated 3.) The work is ignored 4.) The work is destroyed, but the artist goes unpunished 5.) The work is left alone, but the artist goes punished 6.) Roll again And those were just a few questions to get you started. I could go on all day asking questions, but I hope you get the point. Answering any of these questions doesn't just answer that question for your society, but it informs so much else. You can answer any or all of these questions to get the creative juices going, but it's supposed to help you think of the wider implications of certain aspects of your fictional society.